Today the distance between the Southern tip of Australia and the Northern-most parts of Norway is no longer unbridgeable. The Internet has revolutionized the way the world communicates, does business, and even coordinates classes albeit in different parts of the world but all at the same time! Distance education by means of online learning is the latest tool by which both children and adults in the remotest village in Africa or Asia can hope to receive education.

For the side providing education, distance or online learning is not only cheap and convenient but also prevents wasting time on transport and other resources. And for the side of the receiving end, it is nothing short of a blessing. Education should be a universal birthright for those seeking it and those who deserve it. Online or distance learning systems have lent further impetus to that. The study materials in distance or online learning courses are usually fresh and the latest. Thankfully, one can say ‘goodbye’ to centuries of old thoughts rusting in tattered books in libraries which are mostly inaccessible.

Additionally, online learning helps one get the latest resources and references on any subject. And of course there is no limit to browsing as the Internet is filled with infinite number of resources on any particular subject. Online distance learning also lets one take courses at one’s own pace. Gone are the days when one had to sink into the back-benches feeling left out from what’s being taught in class. Study at will, study at leisure— it’s all made possible by online distance education.

Virtual classrooms help students interact directly with their teachers and other fellow students without having to move an inch from their sofas! So one can live in Sydney but study at Berlin all with the help of online distance learning courses! Although this system of education is absolutely useful, still one disadvantage of this system might be that it depends heavily on connectivity. Students in places with very low bandwidth can find it extremely annoying to wait while their page takes forever to load. But thanks to latest Internet technology these problems are on the verge of being ironed out.

Now with real-time technologies, students and teachers can send and receive immediate feedback on courses and exams. The 3G spectrum in Internet telephony has made live video chats possible in many countries. The rest of the world, too, will be able to avail of the advantage of live video interaction during online distance learning classrooms in another two to three years.